This is really a backward mindset, they're trying to add a billion features that my TV already has and sell it as brilliant, while something as basic and (well relatively) simple as "oh, btw you'll be able to play all the games you already have so you have a big library from the start" does not seem to them like added value...well that's understating it, their strategy is to insult people who actually think this is added value.

Most people turn the lights on when they walk into a dark room, to see better, but Microsoft's policy seems to be not only to keep the room in the dark, but to break the light and then attack people when they come into the room.

DrOswald:I always think that it is funny when people like this man pull such statements out of their ass. I mean, why even comment on it if it isn't a big deal?

Also, I would bet everything I own that those figures have been manipulated to the point that they are practically lies.

Plus, they were quite stupid in how they announced this. At least Sony had the good sense to sound sorry that they could not include the feature. Microsoft's tone is basically "backwards compatibility is stupid any you are stupid for wanting it."

I so want to hear them say that about Windows, then see all the pissed off IT and manager. Windows take so much room on the disk in great deal because it is a steaming pile of backward compatibility, has each time they lose one of their main developer they basically have to legacy the feature they were working and just start a new feature from scratch if they want to upgrade, has no one else know how to work the code they left behind, usually.

Way to sound like a dick, instead of just coming out and saying they can't be backwards compatible due to hardware limitations they had to come up with a stupid catch phrase which at worst insults a segment of their customer base, and at best insults a company which caters to them.

I mean shit, is PR such a foreign word to Microsoft these days? You can spin stuff like this anyway you please but this is downright sticking the middle finger up to their customer base for no good reason!

When I bought a 3DS, you know what I did? I bought a crap-ton of regular DS games I missed out on. My "3DS" library is 80% wonderful DS games.

And when I missed out on Xbox and got an Xbox 360, I still managed to buy Jade Empire, KOTOR, Halo 1 & 2, Doom 3, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Ninja Gaiden Black, and Dead or Alive Ultimate and 3 to tie me over through the transition.

They really don't want this thing to sell, so they? Look, I bought my WiiU, my PS2, my old PS3, and my XBox 360 to play backwards-compatible games, as well as new ones. That's about $1,000 combined right there, if not more. My old systems break down, especially if they use disc drives. Calling preserving history backwards is backwards in-of itself. Unfortunately, Microsoft seems to be thinking with its ass, and being proud of doing so. It's depressing.

I have gazed into my magic 8-ball, Don Mattrick, and I foresee an event that will change your life. After the Xbone has "proven" itself in the market place, one of the big wigs at Microsoft will come to your office and will proclaim these two little words to you and to the entire Xbox staff...

I don't get why everyone is hating the guy. He is right once you understand the context of what he says. In order to have backwards compatibility you'd need to use the same shitty old architecture from the previous generation or to find a way to put it inside the new console alongside the new architecture. And that is just not a viable option.

So the one in XBone is about the all in one thing. The XBone is the last television peripheral you will ever need.

Unless you have lots of XBox 360 games. Then you'll need to keep that plugged in too. Because backwards compatibility is too uncool for Big Micro. Because playing XBox games is apparently too uncool for Big Micro.

XBone. I may never get tired of that. XBone. For us members of the PC Master Race the XBone is the gift that keeps on giving. (Sadly, kinda like Win8)

I'm getting fucking sick of companies making stupid decisions, then insulting the people that get angry at them. Face up to the problems and stop going "hurr durr you're just silly!". Microsoft is the least humble of the big three by far. What did Nintendo do when the 3DS was failing? Dropped the price, gave existing customers games and Iwata took a voluntary pay drop. What would Microsoft do? Call us backwards-ass twats who aren't buying the new console because they "don't get the magic!".

Oh my word... Really? Today has just been... what the fuck dude? Did you not learn anything from that Orthy fiasco?

I doubt his numbers. Even if he is correct, I could think of other reason for people not playing back-catalogue games other than just not wanting to. Even if those wouldn't make a significant difference, then I expect more diplomatic language and less contempt from people who are asking for my money.

You've already made me disappointed in you Microsoft. The worst thing you want to do right now, if you want my business, is make me angry.

On topic, BC usually only matters early on. You want people to be able to play games on your console early when there's few titles. Then again, Microsoft doesn't seem to want their console to have much to do with games, as it's apparently more a cable box with voice commands that HAPPENS to play games.

This is coming from the people who want to release sequel after sequel after sequel without taking the risk of coming up with any new IP. What if I want to play the first in a series before I buy the third installment, so I have a better sense of the story? Nope, sorry, that would be silly, because wanting to play a game that is only inferior in graphical quality would be 'backwards'.

Tbh, that's all I see improve in AAA games these days. Graphics and physics engines. The gameplay is often getting worse, the AI are STILL dumb as bricks, and even when it comes to graphics, we're at the point where anything else that can possibly be improved graphically is just so much pointless eye candy that gets lost and forgotten in the heat of the game. Am I going to be cooing over every pore or my avatars face, or am I going to be shooting bad guys?

Secondly, for that last point, after my 3DS broke just before a year had past (it was replaced free of charge, thankfully), I've given up on consoles and handhelds in general. Do you know what's backwards? Having to pay hundreds of dollars every fucking year because the manufacturers can't make the damn consoles stick together for more than a year. So yeah, once my second 3DS breaks, it's the PC master race for me (unless I don't hear hundreds of reports about the WiiU crapping out).

The only reason we're not seeing backwards compatibility (or continuous production of older generations to make up for it) is the publisher's prospect of Ports or Remakes that they can resell for full price. Not even caring a single bit for all the games they are dooming to be forever lost.

I understand the limitations regarding backwards compatibility but what they seem to not even acknowledge and fail to recognize is that if they don't support at least the downloadable arcade games (XBLA) with the next gen, it will be tricky convincing people to pay for a game that has a shelf life.

I only purchase games on Steam because if I get a new computer I can still play the older games. If I lose all my XBLA purchases then I don't need a new console.

I know there's some technical stuff going on, but I find it never ceases to amuse (and annoy) me how most of the "advanced" systems can't play games from their inferior counterparts. The WiiU might not have the biggest processer or library, but if I get one atleast I can play all my old Wii games as I wait for Bayonetta 2 and SMT x Fire Emblem come out.

Gearhead mk2:I suspect that he won't be an executive for much longer. And when he's wondering why every hates him and wht he said and he's begging for his job, we'll only have this to say;

I fear this GIF will be used an awful lot here in coming months, and if Execs keep making statements like this it will be used for very good reasons.

I wonder how long it will take before these companies realise that ignoring all criticism and requests of their customers while trying to craft the future of the industry is completely stupid. No other industry, no other service provider does this, and it's just going to end in disaster.

Aww who are we kidding, when the whole thing crashes they'll just blame it all on piracy and entitlement.

When you decided to use a standard-sized disc, you inherited the BC Curse.

Think about it - Sony has been plagued with "backwards compatibility" demands by PS1 owners since 1999, hoping to play their PS1 games on the PS2 since both were made by Sony. After Microsoft debuted the XBox 360 in 2005, it too suffered the same questions about backwards compatibility. And then, although confirmed, Nintendo also got the same treatment when it showcased the Wii U.

And this all happened for one reason - They all went to a disc.

If you blindfolded a person, and each laid one PS1, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, and Wii U disc in front of them, they would not tell the difference between any of them. He or she would luckily guess which is which because they, for the most part, all use the same physical shape of media - A disc with a hole in the center, all sized at the same radius. There's really nothing to set them apart, and as a result, many people would just assume that a disc that is meant to work with one console will also work in that console's successors. There's also the problem of knowing what works with which - How would one know if a game meant for one console doesn't work for another if they aren't familiar with the logos or names?

But you know what wasn't hit by BC demands? Solid-state media. ROM cartridges can be shaped to work in a specific console, and can be distinguishable from each other as a result. To look at modern solution, USB flash and SD cards in large sizes are really starting to become affordable, and perhaps by dropping the disc and going with a USB or SD-based cartridge, we can once again find ways to distinguish one game from another, and provide a automatic reason why one game won't work in another console, such as it not able to make contact with the pins or not even fitting properly into the slot. (Not to mention the faster access speeds and console hardware extensions, too.)

Ok I can understand why some gamers are having a fuss, (this is the group that think mass effect is there IP after all...)

But honesty why is this a problem, out side of the really old games and old consoles?

Its not like the Xbox 360 will be pema shut off or crumble to dust once the Xbox 1 comes out.

No it will be still there and still working, unless you got a faulty model or take poor care of it.

So in order to play your old games, wait for digital versions to come out or play it on the old console.

Note that I am not saying anything about Sony or the Wii, since I don't have those consoles.

But, why is this such a big deal, no consoles new hardware means that older games have problems running, if at all. How many games on the Xbox 360 will be able to run perfectly on the new Xbox 1? I doubt a good amount, nor many from the original Xbox.

And lastly, I think this is what he means by backwards. If you play older games and not the newer ones, then why do you need the new console if you have a working current one? And why are you continue to player the older games repeatable instead of trying out newer games? Its simply a matter of playing older games on a new console instead of using the new console for new games and the old console for old games.

And its not like consoles are that hard to use. Plug in or swap out for different generations to play different games

I guess I'm part of that 5% then, because I've played Battlefront, Fable 1, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 1 and 2, Halo 1 and 2 and Burnout: Revenge on my 360. And I didn't even own the original Xbox at any point.

I'd be quite surprised if they're not actually making these numbers up on the spot.

The backwards compatibility issue isn't really a concern of mine...my old 360 (which I've had for 5 or 6 years now) finally decided it didn't want to read game discs anymore so I traded it in towards a spiffy new new one which, apparently, wasn't the big waste of money that I'd thought it'd be with the next gen just around the corner and the official declaration of "No Backwards Compatibility For You!"

What buggers my britches is the official "Yeah, fuck used and rental games" declaration. Oh sure, you CAN play a used or rented game...you'll just have to pay XBox live the game's current listed price. For renters: why not buy the frickin' game in that case? For used game gamers: why the fuck would you want to pay twice for it?

That's what pisses me off the most. Well that and the fact that they're stuffing the Kinect down our throat by making it manditory. At this point I'm honestly thinking of switching back over to Sony, since XBox has stuffed so many bad ideas into one console that it should be called the EA XBox One. Hey-ohhhhh!

People wanting backwards compatability are backwards you say?Then what is naming your third console Xbox One if not backward?What is requiring indie devs to have publishers if not backward?What is focusing on TV apps on a games console that requires a TV in the first place, if not backward?

I can get why both Sony and Microsoft have took backwards compatability out, what with new architecture and keeping down the price. However is there really any need to be so flippant about people's concerns about the lack of backwards compatability?

*looks at pile of PS1 games I play on my PS3**looks at stack of GameCube games I play on my Wii**looks at Wii games I'm gonna be playing on the Wii U**looks at GBA games I play on my brick DS**looks at DS games I play on my 3DS*Yeah I guess I'm in the 5% then. I wonder how far down this hole that MS is digging goes. Perhaps they hope to end up in Wonderland where people will actually wanna buy this awful trainwreck that will forever be known as the Xbone.

Orks da best:Ok I can understand why some gamers are having a fuss, (this is the group that think mass effect is there IP after all...)

But honesty why is this a problem, out side of the really old games and old consoles?

Its not like the Xbox 360 will be pema shut off or crumble to dust once the Xbox 1 comes out.

No it will be still there and still working, unless you got a faulty model or take poor care of it.

So in order to play your old games, wait for digital versions to come out or play it on the old console.

Note that I am not saying anything about Sony or the Wii, since I don't have those consoles.

But, why is this such a big deal, no consoles new hardware means that older games have problems running, if at all. How many games on the Xbox 360 will be able to run perfectly on the new Xbox 1? I doubt a good amount, nor many from the original Xbox.

And lastly, I think this is what he means by backwards. If you play older games and not the newer ones, then why do you need the new console if you have a working current one? And why are you continue to player the older games repeatable instead of trying out newer games? Its simply a matter of playing older games on a new console instead of using the new console for new games and the old console for old games.

And its not like consoles are that hard to use. Plug in or swap out for different generations to play different games

Can we stop all this bitching please? It getting old and ridiculous.

What if you like to play a mixture of old games AND new games?

But seriously, not everyone has the space in their rooms for multiple consoles. I don't want to have to go to my attic to pull out my old console, pull out my TV unit, unplug all the new wires, plug in all the old wires and put away my new console every time I wanna play Halo or whatever for a couple of hours.

Personally I think they should have come up with a better solution than; deal with it.

There's something wrong at microsoft. Something seriously wrong. The real PR team are locked up somewhere with the real xbox reveal doused in petrol. These people are deranged madman determined to bring microsoft's position in the console market crashing down.

This is the only explanation. This entire thing has been full on suicidal.

Backwards compatibility is something I really wanted so that I could save space. It would be much easier justifying getting a new console to my other half if I could claim that it was an upgrade and get rid of an older console to balance it out (as I did when I got a Wii U).

I don't mind that the guy doesn't see a need for backwards compatibility, what I don't like is him calling people like me who want such a feature backwards.

You know, I used to not think that much about the lack of backwards compatibility when comparing the Xbone to the PS4, but at least Sony weren't complete jerks about the whole issue. You'd think at this point that Microsoft is actually trying to say, "We don't want to do game consoles anymore. Please, go to Sony!"

Adam Jensen:I don't get why everyone is hating the guy. He is right once you understand the context of what he says. In order to have backwards compatibility you'd need to use the same shitty old architecture from the previous generation or to find a way to put it inside the new console alongside the new architecture. And that is just not a viable option.

The thing is that the Xbone use an Hyper-V based architecture, they could easily virtualize the hardware of the Xbox and the 360, if they really wanted to.

Honestly, this is the least incendiary of all the shit Microsoft has said over the past 24 hours. BC really isn't an important feature to have, and it really isn't that much of hassle to use an older console that still runs to play them. Out of all the things to complain about, this is easily the least worthy one.

Oh, and for those of you who keep on with Mattick calling people who want BC "backwards," please proceed to re-read the article again, and carefully this time before you spout nonsense.

Yeah, because wanting to enjoy all the games I've bought regardless of generation or console until my dying day is a stupid sentiment. I still play the original Halo (not the HD rerelease) and the old CoD games on my 360. I have Baldur's Gate 2 installed on my Windows 7-run laptop. That game is over 13 years old (!) and I still play it.

Ok, look Microsoft. You're already mandating we have to install the games on our hard drive -thus making it a digital game. Why not just make emulator software for both previous Xbox generations, then add their game libraries to LIVE as digital downloads (with the game becoming free if we try to play the game with the disc before DLing)? In other words, why can't you become more like Steam - only for your console line?

Yeah, you're right. That does sound too sensible for Microsoft.

fozzy360:Honestly, this is the least incendiary of all the shit Microsoft has said over the past 24 hours. BC really isn't an important feature to have, and it really isn't that much of hassle to use an older console that still runs to play them. Out of all the things to complain about, this is easily the least worthy one.

You're right that they've said stuff a lot more stupid than this with this reveal, but I disagree that BC isn't important. Yes you can just hold onto your 360 to play 360 games, but what are you gonna do later down the line when it's almost impossible to refurbish it or get a replacement? Suddenly you have a bunch of games staring you in the face that you will never be able to play again. BC isn't a cure for that - eventually a console gen will not be supported just because it's too old - but wouldn't it be nice to have a safety net on the next gen?

Its simply a matter of playing older games on a new console instead of using the new console for new games and the old console for old games. And its not like consoles are that hard to use. Plug in or swap out for different generations to play different games

Back in my day we had these things called "upgrades." It meant that, unless the format drastically changed, you got something more instead of excluding yourself from what you currently had.

Oh, and for those of you who keep on with Mattick calling people who want BC "backwards," please proceed to re-read the article again, and carefully this time before you spout nonsense.

You don't even need to read it that way, you can just read it as "the people who are concerned with backwards compatibility are only in the 5 percent. So they don't matter, good thing they aren't potential customers or anything."

Congratulations as if I didn't think the people involved in making this system were stupid enough I read this all I can say is Sony and Nintendo thank you for giving them you money. All I can say is it is great to be a Play Station or Nintendo fan right now.